Why enable absentify?
absentify integrates deeply into Microsoft 365, allowing employees to manage absences directly within Microsoft Teams and Outlook. By enabling absentify, you provide:- Convenient absence management: Employees can manage absences without leaving their primary collaboration tools.
- Improved efficiency: IT administrators can centrally manage permissions and deployments, reducing manual interventions.
Enable absentify in Teams
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Sign in to the Teams Admin Center:
- Go to the Microsoft Teams admin center.
- Sign in using your Teams administrator credentials.
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Enable app permissions:
- Navigate to Teams apps > Manage apps.
- Use the search bar to locate “absentify”.
- If absentify is Blocked, select the app and select Allow.
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Update app permission policies:
- Go to Teams apps > Manage Apps.
- Under All Apps, search for “absentify”. Select the app.
- Under Users and Groups, edit the desired availability for your users.
- Ensure the app is not blocked under Actions (if applicable).
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Optional: configure app setup policies:
- If you want absentify pre-installed or pinned for employees:
- Go to Teams apps > Setup policies.
- Select or create a policy.
- Under Installed apps, select Add apps, search for “absentify”, and select Add.
- To pin the app, add it to Pinned apps and arrange the order as needed.
- If you want absentify pre-installed or pinned for employees:
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Apply the policy to users:
- Navigate to Users > Manage users.
- Select the user(s) or group(s) to apply the updated setup or permission policy.
- Edit their settings to assign the appropriate policies.
Policy changes may take up to 24 hours to propagate and take effect for users. Employees may need to restart Microsoft Teams for changes to be applied.
Enable absentify in Outlook
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Access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:
- Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Sign in using your administrator credentials.
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Navigate to Integrated Apps:
- From the left navigation bar, select Show all.
- Then go to Settings > Integrated apps.
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Open the Add-ins Section:
- On the Integrated apps page, select Add-ins near the top of the page.
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Start the deployment process:
- Select Deploy Add-in at the top of the page.
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Start the add-in deployment wizard:
- In the Deploy a new add-in wizard, select Next.
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Select the source for the add-in:
- Select Office Store (Microsoft Marketplace).
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Add absentify:
- Search for absentify in the Microsoft Marketplace.
- Select absentify from the results and select Add.
- Accept the terms and conditions to proceed.
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Deploy absentify to users:
- Select whether to deploy the add-in to all users, specific groups, or specific users.
- Confirm the deployment.
Browser-based access without enabling Teams or Outlook apps
If Teams or Outlook access is restricted or not available to some employees, absentify can still be accessed via the browser at app.absentify.com. Accounts can be created in the Microsoft admin portal without assigning Teams or Outlook licenses.Employees without Teams or Outlook licenses will not receive notifications in those platforms. They will need to sign in to absentify manually to stay updated on absences.
Best practices for admins
- Communicate changes to employees: Inform employees about the availability of absentify and how to access it.
- Test configurations: Before rolling out absentify, assign permissions to a test group to ensure smooth deployment.
- Monitor adoption: Use the Microsoft Admin Center to track usage and address potential issues proactively.
Customization within Teams
Further your company’s use of absentify in the Microsoft environment with the following Tips and Tricks.1. Sync absentify with a Teams channel
You can add absentify as a register card to a Teams channel, allowing team members to view absences directly within Teams.1
Open the Teams channel
Navigate to the desired Microsoft Teams channel where you want to sync absences.
2
Select the plus button
In the channel’s top menu, select the + (plus) button to add a new tab.
3
Search for and select absentify
In the app selection window, use the search bar to find absentify, then select it.
4
Select the department or company-wide leave sync
Select one of the following options:
- Sync a department – Select a specific department to display its absences in this channel.
- Sync all departments – Show absences for the entire company.
5
Confirm your selection
Select Save to finalize the setup. Now, the Teams channel will display absence information for the selected department or the entire organization.
2. Pinning absentify for easier access
To ensure employees can quickly access absentify in Microsoft Teams, you can pin the app using setup policies.1
Open the Teams Admin Center
Go to the Microsoft Teams admin center and sign in as a Teams administrator.
2
Navigate to setup policies
Select Teams apps > Setup policies.
3
Add a new setup policy
Select Add and fill out the required fields according to your organization’s needs.
4
Add absentify as a pinned app
Select Add apps, search for absentify, and select it.
5
Save and rearrange (optional)
Select Save to confirm. You can also rearrange the order of pinned apps if desired.
6
Apply and finalize
Save all changes to apply the policy to users.